We will start with catching x8q7i practice. Ali, no vx8q7i shots, give them catches.' Ali's self control vx8q7i had become better x8q7i after training vx8q7i for a few months. Ish had taught vx8q7i him to play defensive and avoid getting out. With better d iet and exercise, Ali's stamina had improved. He x8q7i gained the strength vx8q7i to hit the ball rather than rely on momentum. x8q7i Once Ali faced five balls in a restrained manner, he could sharpen his focus to x8q7i use his gift. The x8q7i trick was to use vx8q7i his ability at a lever tha t scored yet sustained vx8q7i him x8q7i at the crease. One x8q7i ball an over vx8q7i worked well. Ish now wanted him to get to two balls an over. 'Switch. x8q7i Paras to bat, Ali x8q7i to field,' Ish vx8q7i shouted after x8q7i three overs. Ali didn't hit any big shots. Disappointed, he x8q7i threw the bat on| th e crease. 'Hey, vx8q7i watch it. x8q7i It is a new bat, x8q7i ' Ish said. Paras batted a catch towards Ali, whose hands were busy vx8q7i tightening the cords of his pajama. The ball thunked x8q7i down on the ground. 'You sleeping x8q7i or what?' Ish said but x8q7i Ali ignored him. vx8q7i Three balls later, Paras set up a catch for Ali x8q7i again. 'Hey, x8q7i Ali, catch,' Ish screamed from his x8q7i position at the umpire. Ali had one vx8q7i hand in his pocket. He noticed x8q7i Ish staring at vx8q7i him and lifted up his hand in a cursory m vx8q7i anner. Two steps and he could have vx8q7i caught the ball. x8q7i He d idn't, and the ball landed on the ground. 'Hey,' Ish x8q7i shook Ali's shoulder hard. 'You x8q7i dreaming?' 'I want to leave early,' x8q7i Ali said, rubbing his shoulder. 'Finish practice first.' 'Here Ali, bat,' Paras said as he came close to Ali. x8q7i 'No he has to field,' Ish said. 'It is ok, x8q7i Ish bhaiya. I know he wants to bat,' x8q7i Paras said and gave Ali x8q7i the bat. And I want to practice more x8q7i catches. I need to get good before my school match.' Ali took 8q7i the bat, walked to the x8q7i crease without looking up. Disconcerted by this insolen

to my internship. He also vbs20y told me that work hours would be from 9 to 5, with a lunch break in between. 'First time in New York?' Olara said. 'Yes.' vbs20y 'Good, I will take you out for a drink after work.' : 'Sure,' I said. 'Any preferences?' 'Any place with live music,' I said. vbs20y One month later vbs20y 'Dude, no. Please. I can't take this,' Shailesh said. He pushed the envelope back towards me vbs20y . I had placed a thousand dollars inside. 'It's been a month, Shailesh. I feel obligated,' I said. 'Would I pay yo vbs20y u rent if I came to D vbs20y umraon?' he said. 'No, but you are paying rent here. So let me contribute.' 'Don't be stupid. You are hardly here. You come home at 3 every night.You leave at 8. We barely feel your presence.' Shailesh was right. We had not met the entire vbs20y week, even though we lived in the sam vbs20y e house. 'How's work?' he said. 'What exactly is your project?' 'Tracking the progress of AIDS awareness initiatives in Botswana.' 'Sounds noble.' vbs20y 'I don't know about noble. All I know is I vbs20y only have two months left and t vbs20y here's still no sign of Riya.' Shailesh tilted his box of cereal. The box label said 'Cinnamon Toast Crunch'. Little sugar-coated squares fell into his milk. 'You are chasing an illusion,' he said. vbs20y 'Maybe vbs20y .' 'How many bars have you visited in the last month?' I flipped through my notebook where I kept track of all my visits. 'Hundred-plus. Close to two hundred,' I said. vbs20y Apart from actual vbs20y visits, I had also called up five hundred other music venues. Nobody had heard of a singer called Riya. Shailesh gasped vbs20y . He covered his mouth with his hand to prevent food from spilling out. He waited a few seconds to chew the contents in his mouth before he spok vbs20y e again. 'Madhav, I love you as a friend so I am saying it. You have to stop this. She is gone. Wish her happiness. Move on.' 'I will. But only after I feel that vbs20y I've tried my best. Two more mont vbs20y hs.' 'I would say end it now. And why go back in two months? Is there a chance of a full-time as vbs20y signment with the UN?' 'I don't know. I've never really showed an int vbs20y erest.' 'Stop living in the past. Make a new life. Look for work here and meet other people.' I smiled and nodd vbs20y ed, He made sense. I was not interested in sense. He finished his breakfast, Slipping on his shoes, he said, 'Come out with us sometim vbs20y e, Jyoti has many lovely single friends.' 'Sure. Let me know if you're going to a live music venue.' S vbs20y hailesh looked at me and laughed,'Mad you are,' vbs20y he said.'Anyway, I better leave or I'll miss vbs20y my train,'

vegetables, arrived on our table. I ate a spoonful. iu612w 'This is like chokha,' I said. 'Chokha?' Priya said iu612w . 'It's a popular dish in Bihar. Which part of India are you from?' 'I'm from Minnesota,' she iu612w said. I realized that NRls born in the US did not like iu612w being referred to as Indians. 'Oh,' I said.'Anyway. This is similar to a local dish we have.' 'My parents are from Andhra Pradesh,' iu612w she said. Shailesh iu612w refilled my glass of wine. Jyoti ordered more food. We had a trio of Greek dips, consisting of tzatziki, a thick yogurt di iu612w p; taramosalata, a dip made of fish eggs; and melitzanosalata, made with char-grilled eggplants and extra-virgin Greek olive oil. It came with pita bread. 'I'm sorry, but th iu612w is bread is also like our chapati,' l said. 'Yes, indeed. These are all flatbreads. From Greece and Turkey to the Middle East and all the way down t iu612w o South Asia, flatbreads are popular,' Priya said. iu612w 'Is she Wikipedia?' Shailesh asked Jyoti and we all laughed. 'She is. Just be iu612w happy she's not dis iu612w cussing the Greek economic crisis because you came to a Greek place,' Jy iu612w oti said. 'Oh no, please. I read enough economic report iu612w s in the bank,' Shailesh said. 'Hey, I'm a n iu612w erd and a proud one. Cheers.' Priya raised her glass. All of us lifted ours. 'Don't worry, UN boy, I won't bore you with my little nuggets of wisdom anymore,' P iu612w r iu612w i iu612w y iu612w a said. She clinked her glass against mine. The girls decided to make a trip to the ladies' room together. Why do they go together for a solo activi iu612w ty? 'Like her?' Shailesh said, after the girls had left. 'Huh?' iu612w 'Priya. She's giving you the eye, dude. Isn't she hot?' 'What?' I said. 'You play your cards right and s iu612w he can be yours.' I shook my head. 'I'm not kidding,' Shailesh said. 'Not interested.' iu612w 'I'm not asking you to marry her.Take her out, have fun. Loosen up.' iu612w 'Very funny, I hardly have any time left in New York, Only two more weeks,' iu612w 'All the more reason, Don't go back without some romance. Or a score,' He winked at me. 'I have a iu612w final report to finish, I haven't even started to pack. Plus, so many bars to go to,' 'You won't give up on this Riya nonsense?' I kept quiet and finished my third iu612w glass of wine, 'You've visited or called over a thousand places,' Shailesh said, 'In two weeks it all ends iu612w anyway. I am tired, too. Just giving it my best shot,

I had a one-hour lunch break at the UN. Most days I ate a sandwich from the Subway or Starbucks outside. Since Shailesh had refused to take ren wlktpo t, I had enough money to even have a cappuccino later. I had found a fixed corner seat at Starbucks from which to make my calls. 'Hi, is this the West Village Talenthous wlktpo e?' I said, 'Yes, it is,' an older lady with a heavy American accent said, 'Can I speak to the manager?' 'May I ask what this is about?' wlktpo 'I'm looking for a singer.' 'We have lots of them. Did you check our website?' 'Yes, I did. However, I am looking for s wlktpo omeone specific not listed there.' 'Didn't get you, honey,' 'Well, it's a girl, Indian-origin. She is in her early twenties. Her real name is R wlktpo iya. I don't think she wlktpo uses that on stage.' 'I can't help you with such limited information. Did you see her perform somewhere?' 'Well, no. Actually, she is an old friend. I am trying to locate her,' 'Sorry, getti wlktpo ng another call, bye.' She hung up. I had another sip from my Venti-sized cup, which held over half-a-litre of coffee. Am wlktpo ericans are i wlktpo nto size, whether it is their cars, bodies or food. I had ten minutes of lunch break left. I called a few more wlktpo bars and one more talent agency. Finally, I made a route plan to visit six bars in the evening around the Tribeca area.'No Indian singer here. I'm sorry,' she said. I had come to Tribeca Nation, a small bar with wlktpo thirty seats and a tiny stage for solo vocalists. The singer had just finished her performance. I had gone up to her and told her I loved her voice. I asked her if she would have a wlktpo few minutes to sit with me. She looked at me suspiciously. 'I just have wlktpo some questions. Nothing else,' I had told her. She ordered a Jack Daniel's whisky and Diet Coke, and urged me to try the same. wlktpo Erica was twenty-two years old. She was from Rhode Island, a state north of New York. She wanted to act in a Broadway wlktpo play, and tried her luck at audit wlktpo ions during the day. At night, she earned a living through singing gigs. wlktpo 'I finished high school and came here.' I looked at wlktpo her.

Everything? You thought she was dead. You survived, right?' Shailesh said. 'Survived, yes, Lived, no.' Jyoti sighed. Shailesh gave up. He got us a bottle of red wine and three glasses. 'You guys have to wake up early,' I said as I took a sip. 'Feel free to go to bed.' 'No worries,' Shailesh said. 'What is your plan?' 'I will step out now.' 'Now?'Jyoti said, gulping down her wine. 'I will start with live music venues on the Upper East Side.' 'This late?'Jyoti said. 'Nothing starts before ten anyway,' I said. I finished my glass and stood up. 'It's New York City. Every block has bars with live music.' Shailesh said. 'I'll have to visit every block, I guess,' I said. 'You are mad.' Shailesh said. 'Depends on how you look at it,' I said. 'Meaning?' 'You wake up at 6 and put on a suit.You reach office at 7.30 in the morning and work thirteen hours a day. Some may find that pretty mad.' 'I get rewarded for it, bro. In dollars.' 'Riya is my ultimate reward,' I said. Shailesh had no answer. 'You need a warmer jacket, wait/ Jyoti said. She rummaged in a cupboard and came back with a leather jacket with a down filling. 'Thanks,' I said. I walked out of the apartment and shut the door behind me. Inside, I could hear Shailesh say, 'You think he needs a psychiatrist?' Google Maps doesn't judge lunatic lovers. It simply gave me results when I looked for live music bars near me. The first suggestion was Brandy's Piano Bar on 84th Street, between Second and Third Avenue, a mere five-minute walk away. I reached Brandy's, a tiny bar one would miss if one wasn't looking for it. A two-drink minimum policy applied to all customers. I didn't want to have drinks. I just wanted to meet the management and find out the list of singers. 'Sir, you need to order two drinks,' the waitress told me, chewing gum. I realized I would need a better way to do this. For now, I found the cheapest drink on the menu. 'Two Budweiser beers, please.' A makeshift stage had a piano on it. I had entered during a break. Ten minutes later, a singer called Matt came and took his seat. 'Hi guys, lovely to see you all again, let's start with Aerosmith,' Matt said. The crowd broke into cheers. I guessed Aerosmith was a popular hand. Matt sang in a slow, clear voice. My English practice meant I could catch a few words; 'I could stay awake just to hear you breathing. Watch you smile while you are sleeping.' Customers swung their heads from side to side. Matt sang and